


Adoration

by vividliving



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Artist Harry Styles, Artist Zayn Malik, Caretaker Louis Tomlinson, Love, M/M, Sick Harry Styles, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Solo Artist Liam Payne, Solo Artist Louis Tomlinson, Solo Artist Niall Horan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:07:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21911947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vividliving/pseuds/vividliving
Summary: ANNE STYLES, OUR MAYORNESS OR CRIPPLING DRUG ADDICT?late last night a call from the styles manor was sent out to holmes chapel police from fourteen-year-old harry styles, the mayorness' youngest child. read the chilling words that would soon sweep the nation.'999 what's your emergency?h-hi i need an am- an ambulancei'm sorry you're cutting out, you said you need an ambulance?yes, my n-name is ha-arold styles and i'm-sir?and i'm fourteen and my mom is the mayor and she took some drugs and there's blood everywhere and she isn't awake and my sister isn't here and my d-dad. i need an ambulance p-pleaseharold i need you to calm down okay? take some deep breathes and try to stay calms-she isn't, isn't breathing please send h-help'only a one year after the heartbreaking case against her husband, who she had accused of raping and molesting her son, anne styles is expected to be put in a drug rehabilitation center away from her two children. harry, age 15 and gemma, age 22.orlouis volunteers to keep an eye on harry every weekend. harry is dealing with various issues of his own.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Louis Tomlinson/Other(s), Niall Horan/Zayn Malik, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So a few things I wanna say before you read this story.
> 
> first things first: in this story there will be mention of child molestation and rape, both will not be described in any detail and only will be mentioned by name for reasons you will see later.
> 
> two: lowercase is intended because i said so
> 
> three: harry is dealing with the diagnosis of depression and social anxiety, i am no expert on social anxiety but since i myself have depression have an insight on that. now mind you it is different for everyone so if you know or have depression yourself then the experiences i give harry may mimic mine more so than yours.
> 
> four: i think you'll sorta get it but i'm telling this story in flashback format meaning its future harry telling his story to zayn. you'll get the idea i swear.
> 
> otherwise, enjoy and feel free to leave comments and kudos!

"Are you sure your roommate won't mind that I'm staying the week?"

"No, he won't be back for a bit so stay as you please."

"Cool, can I just leave my piece here?"

Harry simply nodded, although his gaze was set away from the man he already knew he was referring to the heater against the windowsill where a few of his pieces were laid. the boy set his keys down in the small heart-shaped bowl on the small table next to the door and placed his paint-splattered bag atop the counter. It was late in the afternoon now and the two had just gotten out of school merely an hour ago, the Friday had kicked off the first few days of Fall break for the semester and the two figured if they needed to finish their final projects they would do it in each other's company.

After a stop at Zayn's flat for his bag and picking up a few beers from the corner store only a few blocks away the pair had made it to the younger's apartment building, which he deemed way too spacious for just one person. Considering Goldsmith Art School's high tuition and the lack of scholarship gifted to the boy, the large space was not reasonable for a 23-year-old bearing no job.

"How did you even get this place? Your roommate must be rich," Zayn scoffed as he dropped his heavy duffle on the floor next to his art piece with a thud, finding himself staring out the large bay window and at the large buildings with flashing lights in front of the setting sun.

Harry shrugged with a small laugh, lips encasing the water bottle he had grabbed from his fridge and nearly drowned in only a few seconds of having it in his grasp.

"My mum was the Mayorness of Cheshire, I got her inheritance."

"Your mum was the fucking mayor!" Harry nodded tightening the cap on the bottle and tugging the sleeves of his brown sweater down so they covered his cold fingertips and balled up in his firm fist.

Zayn scoffed again, now tossing his arms up and turning around to face the boy who was shaking his knee nervously where he sat

"I've known you for almost 4 months now and you have never once mentioned your mother's Mayorness."

Another nod came from the curly-haired boy, eyes squinting as he thought, "Didn't need you trying to mooch off my fortune," he muttered smiling over at the man cockily and winking at him softly, eyelashes grazing his cheek softly and eyes trained on the notebook tight in his hands.

The olive-skinned man snorted shortly as he stumbled around the apartment, hands touching the pale blue stained walls and sock-covered feet rubbing against the smooth hardwood his eyes glancing at every little detail stuffed inside the apartment. Everything was so detail-oriented and specifically tailored to what he knew about Harry, from the neatly hung framed pictures to the perfectly aligned furniture that occupied the living room.

Zayn had slowly made his way to the hallway leading to three rooms he suspected to the two boys who lived here bedrooms and another bathroom perhaps, he had been right about all three and chose not to enter the bedrooms but instead found his hands moving toward the small hall closet placed next to the bathroom.

"Shit!" the man opened the door rather abruptly causing the items that were stacked high on the top shelf to fly out and splatter across the floor, boxes and papers hit the hardwood floor along with a small cellphone and what looked to be an old satchel.

The cellphone lit up as it hit the ground catching Zayn's eye, he dropped his hand from the doorknob, ignoring Harry's shouts, and picked up the small phone which to his luck had been nearly dead but bearing no password and no cracks. Harry had stopped at the beginning of the hallway shortly, mouth cracked open and hands stuck to the sides of the wall.

Zayn, oblivious to his friends pleading words and attempt to grab the phone from his hands, unlocked it curiously and began scrolling through the two pages. he found that only the photos app remained on the home screen and with little to no hesitation he clicked the app, he was immediately greeted with what read at the bottom of the screen _2,435 pictures and 89 videos._

There were only three albums though, one labeled 'h'. another labeled 'l' and the last holding one mere video labeled 'for h'.

"Oh, so you have a secret boyfriend hm?"

As the man perched on the ground clicked on the video the boy beside him was shouting for him to hand the phone over. And at the same time a sweet, angelic voice was filling his ears at full volume.

_"Harold please stop fussing and lemme do a video diary would you!"_

_The man in the video swatted the hands that kept swinging into frame every few seconds, his gaze playful but stern nevertheless, "Anyway, this is video 103 now? Yea and you still hate them but I bet you won't when I have to leave for month-long tours and you're back home hugging my pillows huh?"_

_At that statement, a whine was heard followed by some shuffling around before the shirtless figure in the frame was accompanied by what looked to be a head full of curls._

_"If you even think about leaving me I'll chain you up to the bed and make you stay"_

_"Ooh, Harry's kinky!"_

_The head full of curls shifted to smack the other on the chest harshly before grabbing the phone out of his fingertips and placing it in front of his own face instead, "hi past Harry, hope you finally got rid of this on- ouch Lou!"_

_"Remember we hide the body, we only tell Lia- Lou!"_

_"Shut up! This is supposed to be a cute video about much I adore you not about you fucking killing me you psycho."_

_"Go on then, you adoreeeee me!"_

_Louis sighed taking the phone back and moving so both he and Harry could be seen, the sunlight seeping into the room making them both look like greek sculptures. Once Harry was lying comfortably atop the other's chest and his curls had been patted down enough to not cause any problems Louis started talking again._

_"I hope that you watch this whenever you're sad or lonely or sick of me or tired or happy, just whenever, and this can be your tiny reminder that no matter what you. Harry Edward Styles, you will forever have the brightest place in my heart, I love you always darling. Now, go to sleep and stop crying, you big baby."_

_At that, Harry in the video scoffed, "I am not crying! Future harry you better not be fucking crying!'_

_"You totally are! Ha!"_

_"Turn this shit off, we're wrestling again,"_

_"And the kinks continue, bye Harold!"_


	2. one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the story begins, zayn tries to keep up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter gives more insight to everything happening exactly with harry and hopefully clears up some confusion cause trust me this story is slightly confusing.
> 
> hope my editing is good and i hope you guys enjoy!

everything was spread out now, all the letters and papers and books and pictures and newspaper cuttings were sprawled out in the living room of the boy's small apartment. a majority of the things were worn out and looked useless to an eye such as zayn's, but to a familiar eye with golden specks embedded in the shocking green color, it was everything but a mess.

the cursive to him as neatly written skillfully with every dotted 'i' and uncrossed 't' it was perfect no matter what, he could not see the tattered edges of the papers because he was trained on the delicate way the pen had curved to form the letters themselves. no one else could decipher the meaning or their personal value but harry.

and he loved it.

he loved how his friend's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he tried to read the messy writing or understand why the smiles on the two's faces in the pictures were so damn big. of course, he couldn't do that, without an explanation from harry.

"so what, he was your boyfriend?"

zayn had been picking up little papers and photos for about five minutes before he asked the simple question, his fingers grazing over a simple photo that made the other's heart lurch with a feeling that could only be described a pure adoration.

harry shook his head at the question almost too quickly, his loose waves shook along with it and his smooth lips opened to let out a breath he had no clue he'd been holding in, "we never established that, he was hired as a caretaker and from that, he went straight to something more. never any labels along the way."

he could remember the day he met the boy so vividly that it made him light-headed and dizzy with the thought of the first shy touches and warm glances he received, everyone always treated harry differently than most. they talked slow and steady as if he could not keep up, and they never touched him unless it was dire or a quick tap nothing more. no one was ever blunt with him either and it seemed that everyone beat around the bush a little too noticeably, he was babied in a sense and shielded from what the world truly had been.

but louis, god louis was so different. louis didn't notice how fragile the boy was but at the same time, he noticed it too much, and he never mentioned the flinching and hitch of breath that came with a tightly wound hug. he didn't pressure the boy to speak because he knew that with a bubbly personality such as his, he could get harry to talk without him noticing it much. he was so used to the few people he met going slow and taking their time, if they ever did, to touching him gently and ushering him to talk.

that didn't happen when he first met louis though, louis had come up to the empty house early in the morning and spent no time kicking his small shoes off and dumping his coat on the bench in the front walk in. he spent no time running up the stairs that led to the few bedrooms and he spent no time diving right into the nervous boy who had been brushing back his curls for quite some time now in the bathroom mirror.

louis had wrapped his arms fully around the other's and rested his head gently on his arm, staring into the beautiful green eyes set before him and smiling so wide his cheeks looked as if they were going to rip open. the action scared the unsuspecting boy so much that he dropped his hairbrush in the sink and his muscles went stiff. he felt his heartbeat quicken and his mind race with remedies to fix this situation, but he was numb.

that was until the small pink lips opened, and he spoke some simple words that made harry forget the fact that he was not used to close touching like this, "hi i'm lou and i think your curls are absolutely gorgeous, so don't bother brushing them down."

ever since that day louis had been his favorite person to breathe the sweet air that filled the earth other than his dad and maybe Vincent. he loved the boy too much at just the simple age of 16.

"the way he was looking at you in that video looked as if he was ready to marry you on the spot," zayn muttered setting the picture in his hand down slowly and replacing it with a newspaper clipping of one of those cute romance strips. harry blushed at the kind words, the churning feeling returning back to his stomach where he was experiencing the love all over again.

"tell me."

the two words washed away the good feeling in the boy's stomach like a wave washing away the sand on a beachfront and replaced it with an uneasy feeling, the boys hands began to sweat and his heartbeat quickened as he raked over the shaggy brown in his mind and the sweet smile and the bright blue eyes and the blissful way the words rolled off of his pink tongue and into his equally pink and soft, soft lips.

"okay."

❃

it was cold today. much like most days in doncaster, yet today seemed colder than the other times even when snow fell to the ground and rain pattered on the windows of shops lining the busy streets. the sun was trying it's best to shine through the thick dark clouds but harry knew it'd most likely fail it's efforts soon.

or he hoped.

the streets were busy for noon with no good weather insight, there were older people walking along the bricked roads slowly with smiles on their faces and no teenagers crowding the streets or clogging up the air with smoke. all except harry styles of course. harry had decided that it was the perfect day for a walk around town by himself in the middle of the school day despite his dislike of people and social situations.

"the world is ending!"

a shout coming from the food bank a few blocks down caught harry's blocked ear, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets and sunglasses perched neatly over his dull eyes. the boy pulled his right headphone out gently and began walking toward the man who was shouting rather loudly as he waved a handwritten sign over his head, shaking it harshly in the wind.

harry's long legs carried him toward the scene fairly quickly as he hopped over cracks in the street and uneven pavement placed badly, once he did make it over to him the smile that wound to his face was unmistakable. marcus, the man currently yelling at the top of his lungs, was a resident of the homeless shelter he always stood outside of every day yelling the same thing. he had met harry after a particularly long day of avoiding phone calls and running around town like a maniac, the boy had run into the man turning a street corner and had immediately taken a liking to him.

"hi, there my prized harry, how are you today love?"

the boy shrugged removing his hands from his pockets and sitting down beside marcus on the steps of the building, his bones cracked as he folded his lanky limbs uncomfortably tucking them underneath of his body. the man patted harry's shoulder fondling as he smiled over at him, his missing front tooth reminded the boy of a character he saw on tv once maybe as a kid. but he loved it.

"you know you should stay your arse in school, get real smart and become successful like your mum,"

"i don't wanna be like her," he muttered quickly averting his attention to the hands shaking in his lap and gulping thickly, he had wanted to be everything his mother wasn't and couldn't be. he wanted to be so good.

he wanted to be good to his children and his spouse and he wanted to help people like him and wanted to make other people happy before himself. he wasn't concerned about money because he had too much so he wanted to give it away instead of making more and he didn't want to be relied on by the public like she was, he saw how that reliance broke her.

"she's a mayoress! that's amazing stuff," harry only shook his head harder and clenched his smooth hands into a fist, his fingernails digging into his palms and imprinting harshly.

marcus saw this and sighed deeply shaking his head and setting his sign now gently in front of him, the man could sense the hurt that enveloped the boy and immediately felt remorse, "now harry i didn't mean to hurt your feelings you know i was just rambling."

the boy brought himself to his feet shoved his hands back into his pockets stalking away from the man, deciding that he needed to walk around for a few minutes to recompose himself. he had been sick of hearing about his mother's amazing contributions to the town and how sweet and kind she was, how she helped so many people.

everyone but her son.

the streets were a bit more crowded now to a point where harry's shoulders were bumping others and he was stumbling over his feet with every step he took.

he was scared, to say the least, he was wandering for a while and following this small old woman who had a tiny white dog with curly hair sticking out of her handbag. he tried to ignore his quickened breathing and the way his heart raced when he made eye contact with someone or they smiled for too long.

and now he had no idea why he wanted to come out to the busy streets in the first place, why did he want to be near the noise and the people when he hated them. harry confused himself sometimes.

lost in his thoughts the boy tripped once again over his shoes, but this time his shoelace got stuck under his right foot and he was tumbling into someone's chest. scolding hot liquid staining his school uniform and burning his cold skin underneath of it.

the person whose coffee was now soaking into the other's skin and clothing scoffed loudly and tossed the cup down onto the ground, sending one last glare to the small boy before them and rushing past him. which sent him stumbling back in fear.

"hey, are you okay?"

harry spun around in his heel and held his shaky hands out in regret, he was covered in hot coffee and it seemed that everyone in the world wanted to speak to him at this moment. the girl who had been setting up a sign outside of the small shop raised an eyebrow and took a step toward the boy.

"why don't you come inside and wash off? i have a phone if you need it."

harry didn't even respond when the girl grabbed his gently by his elbow and guided him through the wooden entrance of the book shop, her touch was soft and feather-like and it reminded him of louis'.

his hands were still shaking slightly and his eyes were softly looking around at the place he was standing in, it was small and cozy with a few chairs scattered around and curtains hung from the ceiling and walls. the only source of lighting had been a few lamps placed in the corners of the room and a small one on what he assumed to be the front desk.

"i'm charlotte but you can call me lottie, what's your name love?"

the boy didn't respond but instead straightened out his panicked expression and shook his head, his curls falling to cover his sunglasses. he had heard the name before and her voice was sweetly strung like honey, the way she spoke made the boy soft seeing as her accent was so familiar and her maneuvers around the store reminding him of the way cats flaunted around an open space.

"wait," lottie moves past the shelves of books and stepped over to the boy who was shaking in his boots, her fingertips were painted neon green and they were long and curvy. her eyes were a pretty pale blue that made the boy's heart hurt and her lips were coated with a clear gloss that made her face glow. she was gorgeous.

he was so focused on the way her hands moved and the way her eyebrows knitted impossibly close together that he didn't notice when she pulled the glasses off carefully, revealing his tearful and bloodshot green eyes.

" _jesus christ_ harry styles? you're the boy who has taken up my brother's weekends!"

everything was hurting now and the boy began to feel dizzy, all he wanted to do was sleep and cry and sleep but he was being touched by someone he didn't know but the person was so familiar and she smelled like honey and moved gracefully. and he was going to die.

lottie sighed tucking the glasses away into her front pocket and removing her warm hand from the boy's shoulder, "do not worry you pretty little head, should i call lou?"

harry nodded with red-coated his cheeks and he met the girls gleaming smile, she was enough like louis for the boy to relax his shoulders and unravel his fist. lottie motioned toward the large red chair placed next to the boy and a stack of books that was next to it in a small round table before leaving without a word and disappearing into the back of the store.

harry decided that he liked lottie a lot, that she was pretty and moved like a cat and she had a nice voice and he liked her.

he also decided he wanted to sleep.

it was only 20 minutes later when he woke up to a familiar pressure to his forehead, he had laid in the chair comfortably and fallen asleep in a matter of second. he was lucky that lottie had locked the door so no one came in while she was in the back, nevertheless, she didn't try to disturb the boy and instead stocked up books quietly and sang softly.

he could hear her voice as he slept too, he could hear the sweet curls of her words and the melodies she hummed in between. he loved it.

but he loved waking up more because louis was squatted in front of him and he was staring at him with the utmost worry a human could possibly hold. and he was whispering sweet words into his ear as he stroked his messy curls and lottie explained what had happened to him.

"hi, sleepy?"

all harry could do was nod sadly because he couldn't speak, not now? when his stomach was doing cartwheels and his palms were sweaty and his cheeks were burning with a simple fire. he loved how louis' soft fingers padded at his cheeks gently and how lovely his lips felt on his skin. he could still feel his warm skin and the wet splotch on his sweater clinging to his body.

but he ignored it because harry was in complete bliss under louis care.

"i've missed you, prince lou," he mumbled softly allowing a smile to rise to his face.

"i've missed you too dear, why aren't we at school?" he tsked taking hold of one of the boys neatly wound curls and tugging on it gently.

harry only shrugged glancing down at his palm where he was tracing the nail indents and admiring how red and puffy they looked. it had felt good. but when louis took a hold of the hand and squeezed it lightly, whispering small words, it felt bad.

"my poor baby, poor poor poor baby."

and then louis was cooing at the younger childishly and peppering kisses to his cheeks and chin and face and his eyebrows and his ears and his hairline and his neck and his nose. and harry was scrunching his face up in discomfort and squirming as the other filled him up with something so so sweet.

"i'm nearly 18 now lou, no longer a baby," he hated not being acknowledged for his age, he hated when reporters treated him as if he was older and his mum treated him as if he was a child.

"so don't run away from school anymore okay? get nice and smart for me so when you become of age i can sell you for all the money in the world!"

and then harry was smiling brightly all over again.

❦

the day was slow now, the house was quiet, and the rain was heavy. vincent was getting groceries to fill the home up for the week that followed and had yet to come home. he was mad of course but relieved that the boy had not been in a basement smoking pot again.

louis and harry were wound up tightly together in the kitchen talking in soft whispers even though no one else was around to hear them. they had been like this for almost an hour now and harry loved it more than he should.

their legs were locked together as they were faced toward each other and had discarded their forks and plates moment ago and were now focused solely on each other. harry talked about school and how good it seemed to be going, he talked about his classes and how english was a bit hard but he wasn't failing. he talked for nearly the entire time and louis couldn't get enough of it.

"you need a haircut again," the blue-eyed boy whispered as he sprayed the porcelain plates clean and placed them in their respective slots in the dishwasher.

harry placed his elbows on the counter and pulled at his long curls a frown etched on his lips as he nodded in agreement, he liked when they grew out long enough for them to tickle his chin and the back of his neck. but short was good too. though he liked louis coarse straight hair better than his own.

he liked how it fell upon his forehead and the way he always let it fall into his face to cover his eyes no matter how much it bothered him. louis was easily a kind soul. he cared for everything no matter how bad it was or how undeserving of his love it was, he cared. he cared so much that he spent his weekends with a boy he knew needed him from the start, he cared so much that he took the train to uni every day just so he could help his mum with the girls.

he cared so much that he stayed up late when there was a thunderstorm shaking london's core and hugged his sisters so tightly they were numb. he made dinner on nights that jay worked double shifts and he volunteered to sing at retirement homes for the old. and he didn't once complain when he couldn't complete early admission for college because his father refused to send the money over.

louis cared enough to consider that maybe he forgot and he always had the fall time, that he didn't need to be admitted in the summertime no. for some it was hard to know when to care too much or care at all, but he had the opposite issue.

"louis will you ever leave me? i go to uni next year. what will happen to us?"

"oh we're an us now?" harry frowned. "only joking, but when you turn 19 then we will be friends for the rest of your life harold. that's how these things work."

"okay, louis,"

"okay, harold."

❃

zayn was yawning rather loudly as he stretched his arms out and let out a quiet sound of approval, it was very late now and all the sparkling lights that had belonged to the buildings were now gone and the pitch-black night sky enveloped everything around them. harry was neatly putting the page back into the shoebox and closing it up, his hands running over the letters on the lid one last time before pushing it away from himself.

the two were in the same spot they had been in when the conversation had started only now zayn was laid comfortably on the sofa and flipping through the small photo book in his hands. he hadn't noticed the clear tears dripping from his friend's eyes and onto his empty hands until he finished speaking, a broken tone covering his voice.

"sorry uhm, let's get some rest and we can work on our projects tomorrow. yeah?"

harry lifted his head to meet the other's eyes but he was already laying with closed eyes and open mouth, his arm hanging off of the sofa and soft snores escaping his lips. the other stood to his feet shakily and left the room dark with the low lull of the heat buzzing, and stumbled into his bedroom which was equally as dark but a bit cooler.

his body was aching with a familiar feeling and he longed for the delicate back rub only his roommate could deliver to him. sighing deeply the boy stripped from his tight jeans and tucked himself beneath the covers, the lingering smell on the pillows invading his nose and making his mind foggy.

without thinking the boy grabbed his phone off of the bedside table and opened the file on his phone labeled private, clicking on the audio file labeled 'for when you miss me'.

"hey hazza, guess you do miss me then? called it!"


	3. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> grease is performed and harry is over the moon.

"why can't i see it yet? Is it that special?"

"yes zayn it is, i'll show once it's done but until then buzz off,"

"ah, haz is snappy today,"

"not snappy just off my meds."

zayn muttered a few choice words as he peeked his head out to glance at the boy who was hidden behind the large pad of paper, he could see the few pages he had flipped over with scratches on them and pencil marks made in sense of a mistake. though he could not even begin to wonder why the boy had discarded them because he thought the detail in the eye was wonderful and the curve of the cheekbone too. apparently, harry didn't agree.

the two had been working on their midterm projects for quite some time now and both were nowhere near done with yet, which made sense because they were due at the end of break and were only started two weeks ago. although these were only their rough drafts of the concept they wanted to do for their final and the whole point of the assignment was to brainstorm, they both took it fairly seriously.

the assignment had been simple enough, create something that sparks a specific feeling inside of you, whether it be fear, joy, ignorance. anything.

zayn had chosen to paint which he was awfully good at, his portfolio has been full of all kinds of paintings that harry, along with other students, admired greatly. he was amazing at using colors and the strokes of his fingers or brush or some other unconventional item he had thought to use created a story that harry believed he would never do. it was discouraging yes to have such a talented friend in the same field as you whose gift produces much more than emotion, but he couldn't find himself to be jealous. only proud.

the boy went with whatever his gut told him to do and soon found himself smoothing over the gentle strokes of tree branches and soft green leaves. harry seethed in his spot behind his easel as he watched the man work, but now he wasn't jealous. proud. 

even though it was the rough draft his work looked ready to be presented as the final product and the other hated it. he didn't hate zayn no way, he liked zayn. he hated his own lack of talent. he hated how he didn't believe that he was that good or good enough at all to complete one itty bitty midterm assignment.

"so this louis guy, where is he?"

the question caught harry off guard and caused him to break the perfect pencil point he had spent ten minutes perfecting. he grumbled softly and set the pencil down in the bed of the easel, the paper crinkling with the small touch.

"uhm he's on a three-week-long tour with his friends, he's a kickass musician now," the boy grinned thinking about the performance going on in an hour, how happy the boy was jumping around the stage all sweaty playing at festivals in the states. the way his voice sounded as it was projected loud enough for an entire crowd to hear.

"he plays everything from guitars and the drums and he's a really good singer, he sings like a straight angel i swear it," zayn never asked him to elaborate but he did anyway, "he and his buddies got a few festival gigs in the states so he's there now, i would do anything to see him live again."

"you've seen him perform?"

"well, once in a musical. around the same time all that other stuff i told you about happened."

"how was it?"

"well,"

❃

harry was cold. cold to a point where he was hot again but then back to cold and back to hot it freaked him out a bit but it was bearable. his skin was dry and his lips were cracked and the wind kept blowing his hair around wildly and his nails couldn't dig deep enough into his palms right now.

harry was really cold.

yet, there was no place he'd rather be than sitting outside the theater with his hands shoved deep into his pocket and his ears a bright red. he had tried to cut in front of the line of people but found no luck when a man shoved him back and told him to wait, on the bright side he didn't cry at the small action only shook a bit and snapped the hair tie roughly against the pale skin of his wrist. 

he wanted to cry, but he didn't.

instead, he stumbled his long lanky legs to the back of the line and waited like everyone else. although everyone else wasn't going to see their friend perform in the play like him. he was dropped off early but that seemed to do nothing for him because everyone else came early too.

the production going on was grease. and god, harry could not stand that movie but louis could so he found a way to bear the pain. and when louis came to pick him up from school on thursday, a day early, he picked him up by his waist spinning him around until he pleaded with a small laugh to be let down. he handed him a ticket to see him, in the yearly play the community center put on.

and how could harry say no to an angel like him?

so despite his dislike of people and no knowledge of the play the boy went. and here he was being pushed by the impatient people behind him. harry hates being pushed, then again didn't everyone.

"kid move it!"

harry snapped his head back up to see that the line had moved nearly four feet away and he was only a few people away from the door. the boy muttered a quiet sorry and rushed to the front, hands still in his pocket and eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

he hadn't liked his outfit choice but he knew that louis would, he knew louis would like the dark blue skinny jeans and the pale pink sweater he wore along with the large coat wrapped around his arms. and especially the black bandana wound neatly in his curls. he knew it all too well.

finally, after waiting for nearly 10 minutes, due to the woman insisting she needed a front-row seat, he was next in line. once he was up at the small window he slid his ticket under the small slot in front of him and shifted on the balls of his feet uncomfortably.

"you can go inside with dean, he'll take you to the lou's mum and sisters,"

sisters?

harry was coaxed inside by a small red-haired boy whose smile was bright and eyes shining, the boy was led down the aisles and past the man who had shoved him so rudely before. now confused. and then to a few seats away from the front row where a tall dark-haired woman was setting her fluffy jacket upon the back of her chair carefully.

"jo, this is harry, you guys enjoy the show" dean had left with another lasting grin and a shoulder pat of the boy's shoulder before nudging him forward toward the woman at the end of the aisle.

the woman who he had been quickly introduced to turned around to meet harry's eyes with her own dashing blue ones. she was clad in a simple pair of dress pants and a flowing orange shirt which caressed her body nicely. she was giving louis' signature angelic smile along with a hint of love hidden in the corners of her eyes.

"harry darling, i'm johannah it's so great to finally meet you," when the woman went in to hug the boy he didn't even flinch because her voice was sweet like honey much like lottie's and she moved so swiftly and calmly like a peacock did before they fanned their feathers out. harry liked louis' family.

instead, he embraced her back and squeezed her waist tightly, his face buried in her shoulder blade and eyes closing for a split second. she smelled like cucumbers and green apple and harry really liked louis' family.

"hi," it was simple but not questionable and he was glad that he got a word out without falling over himself. sadly their interaction was interrupted by two small girls running over to the two from the stage and straight into harry.

the two girls hugged harry twice as hard as johannah had and squealed rather loudly, but the noise around them was loud enough to block it out from the ears of other. they were two short caramel-haired girls who had big shiny eyes and dopey smiles, their faces were similar in appearance yet they shared some qualities probably for the fact of them being twins.

"wow daisy lou was right, he is outright gorgeous!"

"outright! look at his hair, mum can harry sit with us?"

without a response the two were pulling harry past their mother and to sit in between their own seats, hands gripped tight in their own as they plopped down in the soft chairs. the lanky boy falling with them, only less graceful, more like a baby giraffe learning to walk.

"i'm daisy and that's phoebe, sorry if we scared you but we're excited to meet you haz,"

harry's heart was fluttering and his eyes behind his glasses were a bit glossy from the shock, he didn't remove his hands from the girls either and he instead gave an approving squeeze.

he didn't mind their touch that much because their hands were soft and their breath smelled of bubble gum. and they smelled like fresh soap. and he liked louis' family too much at this point.

"hi, i like your names they're very pretty," his voice was deep and raspy as he spoke causing the two younger girls to giggle and lean over closer to him.

johannah has now taken her seat and was watching the interaction with soft eyes, her knees crossed and hair falling down her back smoothly. the show would start in another 10 minutes and then they'd be forced into silence so he wanted to talk to the three as much as he could.

"hey harry, lovely seeing you," lottie entered the row now, brushing past the others and placing a sweet kiss on her mums and harry's cheeks. the boy was flushed, to say the least, but smiled and nodded at her.

"so harry, lou says you don't like people but i think you like us very much,"

"i do, you guys are very welcoming,"

harry couldn't resist the smile that rose to his warm cheeks when daisy lifted her small hand to take his sunglasses off and put them in his lap. his slightly glossy eyes were revealed now and he was grinning so big it seemed he was going to burst.

"show starting in 5!"

the lights had been dimmed but the curtains were still drawn so harry turned to face lottie who had been typing away at her phone quickly.

"can i come back to your bookstore some time? i need some new books,"

lottie nodded mumbling an of course before she turned back to her cell phone screen which was now glowing in the dark. harry's body was tingling as he gripped the small girl's hands in his own, hearing their soft whispers, and allowed himself to finally reel in the situation he was in. for starters, he was sitting in a theatre full of people and did not once think about how hot it was or how tightly packed in everyone was. secondly, he had been touched without permission numerous times now and not once did he shrink into himself or scream like he normally would.

harry was proud, and he knew once he told louis of it he would be too.

the curtains were being slowly drawn opening as a voice boomed through a microphone, making silence fall over the crowd and the play to begin.

he liked the lights the most.

he liked the way they shined together and the beautiful colors they made as they moved along with the cast. he liked the way the white light hit louis' tanned skin and creased at his collarbone, and he liked the red dust coating his cheeks and the way they had quiffed his hair up.

but what harry liked the most was louis voice.

loved how his voice sounded, like the way eating cold ice cream felt on a hot day or the way it felt to play a finely tuned piano. or when you take your medication and it actually works. or maybe only harry understood the last part.

so when their performance was over and the audience stood to their standing ovation, harry stood too with the brightest look on his face and the proudest. and when the cast went backstage and johannah told everyone to gather their things so they could go see louis. harry held the girl's hands and let them drag him backstage, behind the two women in front of them.

the families of the cast were led to a small room off the side of the stage and waited there until they were done talking with each other. harry could barely contain himself now because he was shaking pretty bad and he couldn't wait to see louis.

daisy and phoebe could both tell that the boy was quite literally shaking with excitement as they held his hands and they couldn't help but laugh. the two whispered behind his back and shared laughs as his cheeks only got a deeper shade of red.

"lou!"

soon the girls were tearing away from harry's side, for the first time that night, and ran toward their brother who had been the first to enter the room. he was covered in a thin layer of sweat making his skin glistening almost as much as it did under the lights and the rosy powder that was on his cheeks was dampened.

louis caught the pair as they launched themselves onto his sides and tackled him in a tight hug, words of praise leaving their peach-colored lips. they hugged for another few seconds before lottie was joking them with a smile just as bright.

harry stood behind jay still with sweaty palms as the room filled up rather quickly and the group was confined to a small corner, but he couldn't focus on how confined the room was because louis was standing a few feet away and he looked proper beautiful right now.

johannah took her son into a tight, warm embrace as he shuffled away from his sisters and into her arms. in such close proximity harry could finally see the similarities he hadn't noticed early. he could see how when their lips curled into a smile their eyes crinkled by the sides and their cheekbones rose to meet their long cascading eyelashes. they had the same eyes and the same calming touch and the same accents and the same everything it seemed.

"my gorgeous harold," louis muttered bringing himself to the boy who was standing timidly in the back and pulled the taller boy into his arms, choosing to ignore his shaking figure.

the older had wrapped his arms around the other's neck and pulled him securely so they were pressed against each other, warm radiating off of warm and their heartbeats syncing for a few minutes. harry unraveled his tight fist and wrapped his own arms around louis' waist, shoving his face into the boy's sweaty shoulder.

"hi, lou,"

louis cooed at the small words, pulling back to smile at the curly-haired boy.

"did you like it? i saw you smiling the whole while and you looked pleased," harry nodded allowing his face to fall into louis now outstretched hand, his eyes closing and mind fogging.

"i loved it louis, i loved you,"

"i love you too hazza, let's go get some dinner and you can tell me who allowed you to look proper beautiful tonight. sound good?"

❦

fortunately the family of eight, including félicité and who had later joined, louis made a reservation at a nice italian place in the heart of doncaster. they had indulged in an array of dishes and when louis fed harry tiramisu lottie gage playfully and pretended to pass out.

it was nice for harry to go out every once and a while and remember that he was still human and he could still do things like this.

that was until the family parted ways and louis went home with harry for the weekend, they were hand and hand and practically skipping to the valet booth. johannah and the rest and all went back to their respective homes so the pair were the last to leave the restaurant.

harry almost forgot that his mother was an ex-drug induced congresswoman who took bribes people and was currently in rehab, and also a father who disappeared from his life. which simply wasn't fun. he also forgot how relentless the press was with the topic since it was the only thing they ever talked about nowadays, and he wished a bank would be blown up or something.

so when the two left the confined walls of the restaurant and entered the dark, starry night sky they were met with ten-some reporters who had followed the family to the restaurant and hidden in their cars until harry left. they waited for nearly two hours. to get a picture of the ex-mayors son walking out of a restaurant for ten seconds.

"harry, lovely night on the town, eh?" and he could hear his accent wasn't british and now he was confused.

"harry darling how are you holding up, you haven't been out in a while it seems."

"harold reporter from daily news, how is your mom?"

louis cursed under his breath as he took hold of the boy's waist and led him away from the people currently squaring them in. the guy standing by the valet saw the two and rushed away to get their car, instead of calling security which seemed to be a bit weird.

so the two stood by the edge of the road freezing cold and being bombarded by the press who had no lives at all. and when harry was bumped into and over the sidewalk, nearly being hit by louis' car. he couldn't take it at all.

he was shaking now for the second time that night and all he wanted to do was crumble to the ground beneath him and drown in sleep. he wanted to rip his hair out and gauge his eyes out and scream. but he didn't, even though he usually would.

when he was attacked by the press at the court hearing for his mother, he screamed until his lungs burned and he was being pulled into the bathroom by his sister. he screamed in his room when he was alone and he couldn't bear it. harry screamed all the time so now his voice was hoarse and he screamed when things got rough.

"hey calm your pretty little head, no worry up there baby," so he remembered that voice, the sweet voice in his ear and the warms arms tugging him closer. he was calm and he didn't need to scream when louis spoke.

the car came up quickly now and harry was being ushered inside not long before the door was being shut, and now his head hurt so bad. his palms were bleeding now from how hard he had been digging into them, but it didn't hurt.

louis was speeding off into traffic almost instantly with white knuckles gripping the steering wheel, his lips had curled up into a slight snarl and harry could feel the anger running off of him like water on concrete. saying that the older rarely got angry would be true, but false at the same time. he tried not to get as angry sure, sometimes he failed.

before either of them could speak and break the silence harry's phone was buzzing in his pocket, which had been strange because who would call him other than louis and vincent? he had no friends and his parents were in their respective places being a rehab center and a summer home in cabo san lucas.

the boy pulled his phone out of his coat pocket and answered immediately, not bothering to look at the caller id.

"harry,"

"dad?"

harry glanced over frantically at louis who had been speeding down the empty roads and oblivious to the boy in the seat beside him, at the sound of his father's voice his heartfelt light and his fingertips tingling.

"i only have a few minutes, i just wanted to see how my boy is doing," the young boy could hear his father's pain over the phone even with the bad connection and the rustling leaves of what harry expected to be the trees. it made his heart clench and his head throb.

as louis sped down the road rather unsafely harry spoke in a soft voice with his dad who had so much to say and not enough time to listen. they spoke about school and the news and even how good the boy was doing, he liked the way his father laughed so loudly that it blocked out any noise behind him or how he could just hear his smile through the phone. mere miles away.

and when the phone reached a dial tone the car had finally pulled into the garage, harry felt sad again. he felt sad when louis clicked the door shut with the remote attached to his mirror and he felt sad when the lights inside the car flicked on.

harry wasn't okay.

he exited the car in a sluggish motion and let his car door slam as he stared ahead with fallen eyes, louis had been by the trunk retrieving his bags which had a few things he wanted to give to harry apparently and his few clothes that really were just boxers and pants because he preferred harry's shirts over his own.

and when the boy was waiting he was left to think, think about how hurt his dad sounded, and the shake of his voice when he spoke about his visiting time. it wouldn't be soon and by the looks, but he'd visit soon. according to him of course. and it made harry sad to think about his father was across the country torn apart from their family because of his psycho mother, he mostly felt bad though.

harry was hot now standing in the heated garage in a big coat and a sweater, he was sweating and he felt like his body was on fire. he was hot.

he pressed his hand onto the car window and closed his eyes, breathing deeply and allowing his knees to buckle under the pressure of his entire body weighing a ton.

"woah woah woah, love what's wrong,"

harry didn't know when louis flew by his side but he did know that his warm hands on his warm face weren't helping his case of overheating. as his heartbeat quickened and the room began spinning slowly the boy shoved louis away from his body and fell to the ground completely, his grip on the car window now slipping and butt hitting the floor harshly.

his once pale cheeks were a pretty red now and beads of sweat were rolling down his face, he felt as though his heart was being squeezed and he was breathing through a paper-thin straw. he was hurting so bad.

louis pulled the tight coat off of the boys motionless arms and dropped it at their feet before prying at the sweater which would just not come off.

"arms up come on," harry lifted his arms helplessly and allowed the other to take his sweater off, revealing his bare chest which was coated in sweat. louis pulled the other into his chest and shushed his panting, patting his curls flat and whispering softly in his ears as he cradled his face tightly. he tried not to feel the wet drops of tears on his hands as he did.

_"calling out for somebody to hold tonight,"_

_"if you're lost i'll find a way i'll be your light."_

_"you will never feel like you're alone,"_

_"i'll make me feel like home_ "

and that was the first of many songs that louis had written and performed, for harry.


	4. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> harry makes some more friends who really like hugging.

friendships.

a word harry didn't know until he reached age 16 and he met louis tomlinson, and then again at the age of 18 when he met liam payne and niall horan. friendship.

he had friends sure, but never friendships. no never. he had social anxiety and that didn't blend well with the aspect of being social. for obvious reasons. so he had met people in school due to the sole fact of needing to get work done, and he had said his polite hellos to people he passed in the hallways. but he didn't have friends beyond the walls of his school, which was troubling.

so when he met louis he figured that friendship had been easy enough and so smooth with the older boy that he could do it with anyone, he was wrong. he figured out he was wrong when he got paired with a boy in year 12 named josh. josh had shaggy brown hair and golden stained eyes and soft skin and a bright smile and he was beautiful. he was nice and never spoke to anyone ever, and if you somehow made eye contact with him he would look away and pretend he didn't see you.

he was much like harry but ten times worse maybe.

and if louis could hold and claim someone beautiful like him, not his opinion, then he could do the same with josh. so when he was assigned to the boy and their eyes clicked together he knew nothing better than to do but gather his things and set them down on the chair next to the boy. and god he tackled him nearly in the tightest hug he could muster.

and josh hugged back.

so harry had friends but no strong friendships, he had josh who would occasionally muster up enough confidence to offer up a small wave and sometimes even a quiet hello. that was until he met zayn at art school on the third day, because the boy had been enrolled late. and they hit off immediately surprisingly, maybe it was the meds he had started that day and he was happy for once because he had eaten some banana pancakes.

and when the two met zayn was wearing a white tank top that had showed off all his colored tattoos and he still had all his piercings in, so he looked...cool. harry didn't even hesitate to introduce himself and proceeded to run his fingers over the smooth ink. and zayn didn't even mind.

so when harry has offered a home away from home for the boy, that's how they found themselves spending fall break together in an empty apartment complex dancing around like complete and utter fools.

the music in the small two bedroom apartment was loud, loud being an understatement. it was blaring through three speakers scattered around the living room and it wasn't light classical music either, it was music that made the ground shake and your heart pound. the kind that kind of hurt your ears but at the same time it was a pleasurable hurt.

it wasn't that the boys weren't considerate of their neighbors, god no. it was the sole fact that the only people who lived in the complex were businessmen who had been gone from the hours of 9-5.

and it was 3.

so they had woken up rather early, early being 12, and started their works immediately. it started in silence but continued to the loud music that was blasting now. it was everything but calming, it felt like needles pricked at harry's porcelain skin and his head hurt but he didn't care.

it felt so good.

zayn had been jumping around spastically shaking his body around and bobbing his head as he worked on his draft which still, looked fucking phenomenal. harry mirrored his actions almost exactly as the soft strokes of his pencil touched the paper gently.

the two had left their projects in between the living room and the kitchen considering the things laid out in the living room were not being moved anytime soon and the kitchen had been too small and close to the doors, it was so messy and harry knew it.

the kitchen had piled up with takeout containers same for the fridge, and the state of the living room was yes messy as well.

"okay let's break i have sweat in the crack of my ass," the dark-haired boy shouted loudly stopping his movements and setting down the brush onto the easel before moving over the tone of the speakers and powering it off.

harry panted heavily as he dropped his pencil to the already messy ground and turning the speaker off hanging from the plant in the ceiling, sweat rolling now the side of his face.

the last speaker had been shoved in a box sitting on the couch which held more than the speaker. zayn had been the one to step over to it and power it down now enveloping the room in a nice silence. thoughts before he could turn away his eyes caught the surrounding papers in the box.

harry was too busy answering his ringing phone in the kitchen to notice the boys curiosity so he took the liberty of tossing the speaker out and digging through the papers. he fields through the messy handwriting and the dates written on the top line to try and find one near the time his friend had told him about.

zayn glances over at harry who had been whisper yelling into his phone and pacing around the kitchen, he looked troubled but the man chose to ignore it and continue his search.

"i don't feel like running to the fucking pharmac- no i don't care," a groan fell from harry's lips as he knocked his head on the cabinet and gripped his phone tighter in his palm, his hand flew to rub his now throbbing head and carded through his short hair.

it was only a moment more before the boy was hanging up the phone and slamming it down onto the countertop, sighing deeply.

"you okay, h?"

zayn dropped the papers back into the small box and walked over to where harry was, stepping over the papers on the ground and stumbling over to where the boy had been kneeling over the counter. harry nodded lifting his gaze to see the time blinking on the oven next to him.

"i have to run to the pharmacy, i'm out of my shit meds."

"explains a bit," zayn shouted as a wooden spoon was chucked at his head, "you have to tell me another story though, and whose the hot blonde dude in that picture?"

"come on then, and his name is niall and he's _straight_."

❃

"you have the biggest head of curls ever hazza,"

"should i chop them off? shave my head and become a monk yeah?"

louis tugged at the boy's curls gently as he weaved his fingers through the knots and added the thin cream into his soft brown locks, tongue sticking out of his lips and eyebrows knitted in concentration. this routine had been normal for a sunday morning with nothing to do, it was a win for both and calming after a busy weekend that they just had.

the younger had a bad habit of pulling and yanking at his curls at all times of the day and soon his scalp had become red and inflamed, so louis being the superhuman he is. he took the liberty of buying some hair moisturizing cream and massaging it into the boy's scalp every weekend.

harry loved it too much.

he loved the way the others smooth finger felt gliding through his curls and the way his knees clamped just under his arms so he could swing them over and play with whatever bottoms he was wearing. he mostly loved the small trolls that came from his lips or the lovely hums that sounded throughout whatever small space they resided in.

"don't you dare, love you and all your little bouncy baby curls," louis hummed dipping his fingers into more of the cream and gently braiding more into harry's hair. he loved the sound that fell out of the boy's lips shortly after, the sound of complete and utter pleasure whilst trying to maintain his silence. clearly, he couldn't.

a smile made its ways to the boys face as he leaned back deeper in between louis' legs and gripped tightly onto his thighs as the later tugged at a specifically difficulty tangled curl. it wasn't that it hurt but more so as he didn't expect it at all, so he deepened his nails into the warm creamy skin of louis tomlinson. while louis tomlinson was squirming in his spot, trying not to let the pressure of the others nails get to his head.

"lovely boy would you like to get food with me and my friends? we can get you lemonade and talk about footie," harry was barely listening at this point and too busy wincing with closed eyes to ignore the small yes that left his lips in agreement.

the older simply continued, "and we can get sandwiches and they can finally meet the boy whom i adore sound good?"

he was finally done and was now wiping his hands on the towel that was hung over his shoulder before squishing the reddened cheeks of the boy in his grasp, rolling the skin between his fingers gently.

louis hadn't even needed to get an answer because the way harry slightly shifted so he was facing toward the older and took ahold of his hand in his own, tightening their wound hands and pressing them to caress his face. it was enough.

"i dunno, i just i dunno,"

he hadn't known if he was ready enough for this or even if he could handle it, in the moment it seemed like he couldn't because he still got nervous at the sight of people and he could barely mutter a word before the panic set in. so maybe he should call it quits and sleep his day away while louis was out being the social butterfly he naturally was.

"you're so ready haz, and i got you all the way."

the two left for the restaurant 45 minutes later after trying to figure out if wearing jumpers that matched the eyes of the other were too much, they weren't. and once they finally finished their bickering on if harry's ratty boots were really that old, they were, louis decided he wanted to dry the damp curls because he didn't want to risk the boy getting a cold. so harry sat on the toilet with folded hands and let the older dry his hair off, enjoying the warm air blowing gently on the back of his neck.

and he didn't mind when louis had ruffled them or twirled them around his finger claiming that they needed to be styled. and then they were finally leaving the small confined walls of the home.

the door was locked and the pair stumbled their way into the garage where louis' car was waiting for them, already warmed up and ready to go. everything was ready to go but harry. he was scared, to say the least, and he wasn't sure if he looked awkward in the tight jumper and the wrinkled headband. and he didn't know if his curls were too messy and if they laid in all the right places on his head.

he didn't want to look a fool when he met new people, the newest people he had met since meeting the tomlinson's so he was self-conscious and scared.

it was far too late to turn back now seeing as the doors were locked and they were halfway down the road, he really didn't pay attention. so he just tightened his grip on the leather of his seat and closed his eyes, breathing slowly and remembering what his dad had always told him.

_"if you think about all the things you have to be excited about your fear will seem like nothing,"_

he was right.

when they finally made it to the small restaurant and it was only a bit crowded harry panicked, yeah he did. he dug his nails into his palms and watched as they deepened the marks already there, and he felt his heart race because jesus he had to meet people whose names didn't end in tomlinson, styles, or martchetii.

he felt himself only freak out more when he realized louis had been out of the car and traveling to his side to open the door, and he was panicking badly now. so when the door was yanked open and his body was jerked toward the door which he had been holding onto with a death grip.

but he wasn't scared.

"h what're you doing? let go of the door," the older had shoved the car keys into the pale green colored jumper pocket and tugged the skinny fingers away from the handle of the door, grunting as he did so. but harry's grip only tightened and soon the elder became frustrated.

so he groaned and slowly weaved his hand into the others, a pout cascading over his lips and making his once bright face dull. but harry was not budging despite the fact that the two were outside of a nice restaurant and surrounded by crowds of people moving along the sidewalks.

it was quite amusing to watch actually, something like a mother and her six-year-old fighting over if the child went to school or not. only the mother was fairly weaker than the child and was being worn out by the fight. yep, that explained it exactly.

louis let out a yelp of surprise as the curly haired boy tugged him toward his own body, finding that he was clearly stronger than the other. it caused the older to trip over the sidewalk too and scrap his exposed ankle, but harry didn't know.

"hazza please get out of the damned car," he shook his head, finally wiggling his wrist out of the others fingertips, "you will be fine, i swear on all the candy ropes in the entirety of this work!"

so yeah that stupid sentence was enough for harry to leave the car and enter the cafe, clung onto louis' side. he didn't even flinch when the later tucked his hand underneath of his warm hoodie and pressed his cold fingers to his bare hip. and he noticed the way that the other had been limping slightly but figured it was from one of his reckless football games with the boys he was about to meet.

louis led the two back deep into the restaurant in search of his two friends who had already arrived a few minutes ago and were most likely waiting in the back booth where the boy had told them to go because harry didn't like crowds and louis liked harry.

just as suspected the two had been squished into a large, circular booth arguing over something that was on their menus. they were even too busy to notice the presence of their friend, so he cleared his throat and untangled his own body from the larger frame he was with.

liam was the first to acknowledge louis and grinned widely at the sight of his friend, but even wider at the sight of the nervous boy beside him. choosing to stop his useless bickering with niall and slid out of the booth fully now, before tackling louis in a tight embrace.

"lou! thank god you're here, nialler is a right headache" he chuckled heavily, patting the others back and squeezing him gently.

harry stood anxiously inches beside the two, eyes grazing over the clean hardwood floor and his hands falling by his side in the familiar balled up fist which of course, his nails had been digging into since the warm and soft hand of louis left his hip.

it was a straight surprise when niall slid out of the booth and pulled harry into a tight hug, so tight it felt like he could barely breathe. the boy smelled of a sweet and thick cologne and his body heat radiated off of him just as his smile did. harry tried to ignore the way his stomach felt at the small interaction and instead stood still while the boy pulled his body in impossibly closer.

louis and liam pulled away slowly and were now staring at the pair who shared an uncomfortable hug, the earlier winced as he took a step forward and shook his head softly, flickering his pale blue eyes between the two.

"niall he doesn't like being touched by," he paused "people."

as to prove his point the older nodded toward harry who had been standing rigid in place with widened eyes and gentle breathes falling out of his lips, a look of displeasure on his face that he would never explain in fear of being rude.

niall pulled away and mumbled a small sorry with an equally apologetic smile to accompany it, niall and louis shared a small tight hug as liam smiled brightly at harry sharing a small wave. which surprisingly had been returned. louis slid back into the booth first leading harry after him easily. once everyone had been reacquainted and newly acquainted they took their respective seats in the circular booth, liam and niall off to the left side and the other two boys stretched off to the right side.

louis placed his cold hand to the youngest thigh and sent a smile toward him, pressing a lasting kiss to his temple and turning away so he could engage in conversation with his friends. while the three talked harry found himself listening, he liked the way liam spoke about louis in music school and how passionate he seemed to be when mentioning their dreams of touring.

and despite the wrong foot he and niall had stepped onto to he found comfort in the loud laugh that left the boys lips whenever louis made a small joke, his head tilted back in glee and his eyes shined with tears that seemed to always be spilling out. the three had met at music school, which they had all been actively attending, and hit it off from the start with their personalities mending perfectly.

like puzzle pieces.

they shared the same dream of becoming a group together and going to shows in the states and to travel more around europe, though they all agreed to do it together or not at all. because none of them felt they would last by themselves.

harry found himself smiling too, at the scolding from liam urging the boys to get their meals and to stop playing with the food that they had. he found thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic of the group and how calm they made him feel even without saying a word. so when he had to use the bathroom he didn't even stutter while excusing himself from the conversation and he didn't mind when louis let his hand linger on his back because his hands had warmed up now and he'd never get tired of that gentle touch.

the boy stumbled away from the booth in a daze of milky white skin and lazy eyes, his hands rubbing over his face and pulling at his tired eyes. he made his way to the bathroom which had been in the back of the restaurant and away from all the commotion, on the way he ran into a small girl who simply waved at him and skipped away. she was cute.

once he made his way into the restroom and had the door locked securely, he found himself splashing water onto his warm cheeks and ridding himself of any heat once on his face. the warmth had been turned up high in contrast to the outdoors which were briskly cold, but he wasn't complaining.

after using the bathroom briefly and scrubbing each and every one of his fingers rid of germs or dirt, then again. just in case. he was soon found himself making his way back to the table, wanting nothing more than the soothing hand on his skin and the soft lips grazing his ear. even at the thought he was blushing fiercely and glancing down at his awkwardly moving feet.

"woah kid, watch where you're going not your feet," large hands gripped his shoulders tightly and stopped him in his journey back to the table, harry would normally believe the fact that he wasn't paying attention but while he was walking he hadn't seen any feet near him and he was paying attention.

his fear only grew when he met the mystery man's eyes and was met with a warm brown color, along with a sly smirk. it took a moment for the man to remove his hands and stick one out instead for the other to shake, of course, he didn't.

"harry styles right? your pretty little face was all over the new a few years ago," the man had managed to back himself and the younger farther back into a dark corner in the restaurant, only a few seats away from where the three men had been chatting.

harry wiggled out of the others grasp and rushed back over to his table, shaking the thought of how soft the silk of the suit the man had been wearing felt against his arm. when he found himself back at the booth he was met with the worried eyes of louis who had patted the spot next to him, urging the boy to sit. he did so cautiously and slid to meet the prying hands of the older boy as he fell into place with him.

louis turned away from the two others and pressed his warm hands onto the burning red cheeks of harry styles who looked more disheveled as ever, "your face is wet, what happened?"

"i was hot so i splashed my face, is it red?" a small awkward laugh left his mouth as he nodded softly, hand grasping the small curls at the nape of the others neck and gently wrapping them around his long fingers.

the red only deepened at the action and soon the two were lost in the softness of their eyes own eyes, "we should head back soon, i have to head back home tonight."

"i love the constant reminder lou,"

"i love you hazza."

"cheesy, _so_ cheesy."

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! suck at editing so leave any constructive criticism in the comments. 
> 
> thank you!


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